Sometimes It Doesn't Go Both Ways (Weekly Devotional Message)

Matthew 7:12 – “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”

Proverbs 24:29 – Do not say, “I will do to others as they have done to me; I will pay them back for what they have done.” (NRSV)

Most of us learned “The Golden Rule” early on in life. We are supposed to treat people the way we would like to be treated. This is a natural corollary of loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Despite the technicality that some people may have different preferences than we do, this is a solid guideline for behavior. It offers a clear measure of whether our actions are right or wrong.

And yet, too often, we are tempted to twist it around into justification for bad behavior. “He did it to me first!” “She started it!” These are the cries of children, yet we act them out, even if we don’t say them out loud. We tell ourselves that if someone did such-and-such to us, that must be the way they want to be treated, so we can respond in kind.

The author of this saying from Proverbs knows about our tendency to rationalize this way. And he points it out for the lie it is. The Golden Rule doesn’t go in both directions. It is a standard for our behavior toward others, not a justification for our reactions to others. The truth is that we all fail at it much of the time. But the example of Jesus is one of forgiveness and grace. We are asked to turn the other cheek and walk the extra mile, even if the other person will never in a million years do so.

Just like children, we are so often obsessed with fairness. But our preoccupation with what’s fair comes from our preference to judge other people’s behavior and not stay focused on our own. That is not what Jesus asks of us. When it comes to judgment, the gospel says MYOB – Mind Your Own Business!

Collect for the Week: Gracious and Loving God, who sent your Son to show us how to live your will, grant that our hearts might be filled with grace, mercy and love, that we might offer a gospel witness in the face of injustice and discord. Through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit, Amen